An education welfare officer is a person employed a local or national government who acts as a liaison between school authorities and the families of students who are having difficulties at school or who are frequently absent. Welfare officers look into a child’s problems at school and at home and try to find solutions. Jobs as an education welfare officer are most common in the United Kingdom, but similar jobs with different titles can be found all over the world.
Some positions as an education welfare officer are entry-level, open to high school graduates. Although the pay for these jobs is comparable to that of entry-level jobs in other industries, some school districts require welfare officers to have a bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or a related field. Education welfare officer jobs with a degree pay better, but those who work in these positions are expected to work with children who have severe behavioral issues or come from troubled homes.
The majority of education welfare officers are assigned to multiple schools in a single city or school district. Due to the amount of travel required, a valid driver’s license is usually a requirement of the job. An education welfare officer typically visits each school a few times per week and meets with school administrators on a regular basis to discuss new and ongoing cases. The welfare officer will often meet with a child at school to try to figure out what is causing the child’s problems. Children are more likely to freely discuss their problems with people they trust, so successful welfare officers have good people skills.
When a child’s behavioral problems appear to indicate a domestic problem or when school officials believe the parents should be informed about a serious issue at school, education welfare officers arrange meetings with the parents. As a liaison, school teachers frequently work with parents and the welfare officer to develop action plans to correct the child’s behavior. When dealing with a child who has serious emotional or psychological problems, welfare officers arrange for the child to see a child psychologist.
Children who are frequently absent from school are reported to the education welfare officer their schools. The child’s home is visited a welfare officer to determine if the absences are due to parent neglect or another issue, or if the child has a genuine health problem. When parents are found to be neglecting their children, the education welfare officer is required to report them to the appropriate authorities. In many cases of child neglect or abuse, the education welfare officer is required to appear in court and share the results of their investigations.